TV time linked to aggression in kids

Local researcher says more time with tube leads to measurable increase in misbehavior

By Cathleen F. Crowley Staff writer

Published 1:00 am, Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Toddlers who watch a lot of television exhibit more aggressive behaviors such as fighting, disobeying, hitting and angry moods, according to a University at Albany researcher.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children spend no more than two hours a day watching TV or on the computer, and recommends no television for children younger than 2.

Yet Jennifer A. Manganello, a professor of health communication at the School of Public Health, found that children younger than 4 years old watch an average of 3.2 hours of television per day, while the household television remains on for an additional 5.2 hours.

For each additional hour of television a preschooler watched, Manganello found an increase in aggressive behavior.

"We as parents need to be smart about TV use," Manganello said. "You want to think about limiting the time children use TV, to pay attention to the TV programs and consider how TV is used throughout the entire household."

The study measured aggressive behavior on a scale of 0 to 30, with 30 being the highest level of aggression. The average score was 9.8, but the researchers found the score increased 0.16 points with each additional hour a child watched TV daily.

The relationship between bad behavior and TV viewing remained strong even when the results were controlled for other factors known to affect a child's behavior — including gender, the mother's stress level, maternal depression, domestic violence and neighborhood disorder.

But don't blame the TV quite yet.

"Our study did not find that TV causes aggression. ... What we found is that as TV use increased, so did the child's aggressive behavior," Manganello said. "All we can say is that children who watch more TV are more likely to have a higher score on the aggression scale."

Other factors are program content and the parenting environment. Children "may be learning to act aggressively because of watching this aggressive behavior on television," she said.

It's also possible that children planted in front of the TV, even if they aren't watching a violent program, are missing out on activities that foster healthy development like playing or reading with a parent.

Other studies have shown that households with heavy TV use are more likely to have fewer restrictions overall, such as having a regular bedtime.

"Heavy household TV use ... may be an indicator of general attitudes concerning discipline and rules regarding media habits and child rearing in general," the study said.

Manganello said more studies are needed to explore the cause of the aggressive behavior.